It is hard to believe that we are nearing the six-month mark of life with COVID-19. Six months of social distancing, increased isolation, ordering everything to-go, and (for many of us) a new routine of working entirely at home.

As I reflected back on the past six months recently, I thought about where I have seen God at work. Like all of you I’ve traveled the ups and downs of this season; I have struggled hard against the limitations it has presented and learned some sobering truths about myself in the process.

And it is here I have seen Him working: in the discomfort we are all being forced into, and all the questions that it raises. I have seen Him at work in both the softening and the unsettling places. I have seen Him draw out people’s hopes and dreams, move them towards self-sacrifice, give them courage. I have found Him in the beauty and light that still rises to meet us each morning and the arms of darkness that wrap around us each night.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned more than anything, it is this: these places of discomfort, these unsettling places, can either drive me towards despair or towards surrender and creativity. When I am faced with incredibly frustrating limitations, I get to choose: will I allow this to be my invitation to a new way? Can I accept the opportunity it offers me?

This season feels so hard because it is so hard. I don’t think it’s helpful to try to minimize the emotions and struggles of this season or how difficult it is to ride its unsettling waves. But I hope even in the midst of it, I can keep my heart open. I hope I can listen for the whisper of invitation riding beneath the current of today.